Which term describes the longest side of a right triangle?

In a right triangle, the term that describes the longest side is the hypotenuse. This side is opposite the right angle and is always the longest side because of the properties of right triangles defined by the Pythagorean theorem. The hypotenuse can be calculated using the lengths of the other two sides (the legs of the triangle) through the formula ( c^2 = a^2 + b^2 ), where ( c ) represents the hypotenuse and ( a ) and ( b ) represent the lengths of the other two sides.

The other terms listed refer to different parts of the triangle. The base is one of the sides of the triangle and can vary in length; the adjacent side is one of the two sides that form the right angle; and the altitude refers to a perpendicular segment from a vertex to the line containing the opposite side, which is not necessarily one of the triangle's sides. Each of these terms describes different aspects of a triangle, but none can represent the longest side other than the hypotenuse.